Car-coupling.



I. SPARKS.

OAR COUPLING.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 30, 1907.

906,466. Patented Dec. 8, 1908,

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g i N |2 At/omc J15 'top plan view of my new and ISRAEL SPARKS, OF LA FAYETTE, INDIANA.

CAR-COUPLIN G.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 8, 1908.

Application filed March 30, 1907. Serial No. 365,465.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ISRAEL SPARKS, a citizen of the United States, residing at La Fayette, in the county of Tippecanoe and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Car-Couplers; and I do hereby declare the following to be a. full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to new and useful improvements in car couplers and is adapted to be used more particularly in connection with automatic couplers using knuckles for securing the coupling heads together, and my object is to provide means for securing the knuckles in their locked position.

A further object is to provide means for manually releasing the knuckles so that the draw heads may be uncoupled from each other, and a further object is to provide means for automatically releasing the knuckles when one of the draw bars is pulled from its anchorage on the body of the car.

Other objects and advantages will be hereinafter referred to and more particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings which are made a part of this application, Figure 1 is a detail longitudinal sectional view through a coupler and a portion of the car body showing my improved attachment operatively secured thereto. Fig. 2 is asectional view as seen on line 22, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a improved locking dog, and, Fig. 4 is a plan view of. a trigger employed in connection with my improved automatic operating mechanism.

Referring to the drawings in which similar reference numerals designate correspondin parts throughout the several views, 1

indicates the body of the car which may be of the usual or any preferred construction of either a freight car or a passenger coach.

Fixed to the end of the car body 1 is a draw bar 2, the rear end of which is secured to the car body in any preferred manner, while the opposite end thereof extends be yond the car body and is provided with a ead 3. The head3 is of the usual or well known form of automatic coupler and is provided with a knuckle 4 which is pivotally secured in a cavit 5 in the head 3, that portion of the knuok e extending into the cavity and beyond the pivot pin 6, being reduced in thickness to form an arm T, which swings from side to side of the cavit v when the knuckle is being swung into its open or closed position. Pivotally mounted in a bore 8 in the draw bar L and in the rear of the knuckle 4- is a locking dog 9, said dog being hcld in position in the bore by direct ing a bolt 10 through the walls of the draw bar and through an opcningin the rear end of the locking dog, while the forward end of the locking dog is provided with a latch 11, said latch being so located as to extend into the path of the arm 7. and when the knuckle is in its closed position the latch dcsccnds into the path of and engages one edge of the arm so that the knucklc will be positively held against rotation on the pivot pin (3. The locking dog 9 is adapted to be manually operated to raise the latch out fengagement. with the arm 7 and to this cud l provide a shaft 12. which is rotatably mounted in suitable brackets 13 suspended from thc car body 1, said shaft extending beyond the brackets, and having thereon, levers 14, while the central portion of the shaft has fixedly secured thereto, a bar 15, to the free end of which is pivotally secured, a pitman 16, the upper entl of which extends through an opening in the lower facesn the bar and is provided at its extreme upper end with a trunnion 17, which in turn enters a slot 18 formed in one face and at the lower edge of the locking dog 9, said locking dog being provided at this point with a semi-circnlar projection 19, in which the slot 18 is formed, so that the locking dog will not be in any mannerweakened. By this construction it will be seen that when it is desired to release the knuckle so that the cars'may bc uncoupled, an upward pull on the lovers H will partially rotate the shaft 12, and elcvate the free end of the bar 15, the pitman l6 forcing the locking dog upwardly until the latch 11 is above the arm 7,-and as soon as the knuckle has started to open, the lever may be released and the latch rested upon the upper surface of the arm, inwhich position it will remain as long as the knuckle is open. As soon, however, as the two cars are directed together, the knuckle will be rotated on its pivot pin until the arm has been removed from below the latch whereupon the weight of the locking dog, ,together with the lovers for operating the same, will cause the locking dog to descend and rest in the path of and engage one edge of the arm 7,

and in order to prevent the latch from becoming broken by any sudden or unusual pull u on the knuckle, the lower portion of the etch is seatedin a channel 20 formed in the bottom; wall of the draw bar.

It is a well known fact that a great many wrecks occur from the eh-awharbeing pulled loose from the car body and dropping: upon the track my and thereby derai iiig irere mainder of the train, and to this end I have provided means for automatically operating the locking dog and releasing the knuckle, when the draw bar has moved outwardly a certain distance, so that the two draw heads will be released from each other and the strain removed from the coupler which is pulled from the car body.

In order to readily accomplish this result, I provide a trigger 21, which enters an opening 22 in the lower wall of the draw bar, and the inner end 23 thereof is curved to fit around -the rojection 19, said projection, when in its. owered position, resting upon the curved end 23. The rear wall of the opening 22 is also curved so that when a pull is given the lower end of the trigger, said trigger will travel upwardly on the curved surface of the slot and lift the locking dog 9; and to positively operate the trigger and cause the same to travel upwardly, I secure to the lower end of the trigger, a rod 24, the opposite end of which is secured to an anchorlng chain or cable 25, which is in turn secured to any suitable part of the car body.

The draw bars are secured to the car body, and are preferably attached to a spring so that when the engine is started the draw bars Will move lengthwise sufficiently to prevent a sudden jerk, the forward ends of the draw bars being suspended by means of a strap 26, and in order to prevent the rod 24 from operating the trigger 21 when the draw ba'r moves forward, the chain is of sufiicient length to allow the draw bar to move lengthwise a predetermined distance before the chain is drawn taut thereby eliminating the possibility of operating the trigger by the natural movement of the draw bar. Should, however, the longitudinal movement of the draw bar be sufiicient to tighten the chain so that the trigger would be partially elevated, I provide a cranked portion 27 in the rod 24, which normally rests in front of the strap 26, so that as the draw bar returns to the forward end of said coupler; of a its initial position the cranked portion 27 will engage the strap-26 and limit the upward movement of the trigger, said trigger assuming its normal position by gravity.

' If, however, the anchorage of the draw bar becomes broken and the bar is bein pulled away from the car body, as soon as t 0 chain is drawn taut, the trigger will be moved upward on the curved face of the opening 22, which will result in lifting thelocking dog out of engagement with the knuckle, ,so that the draw heads at this particular point will be uncoupled and the length of the chain and rod for the trigger are such that the knuckle will be released before the draw bar is moved entirely free of the strap 26 so that the draw bar will be suspended thereby and prevented from falling upon the tracloway.

What I claim is: I

1. The combination with a coupler having a knuckle pivotally mounted therein of a locking dog for said knuckle, means to pivotally mount the locking dog in the coupler, a trigger extending through an opening in the bottom wall of the coupler, said openin having one of its walls curved, a curved on on said trigger adapted to reston the curved wall of the opening, said locking dog having a semicircular projection adapted to contact with the trigger, and means to direct the trigger upwardly on the curved wall when the coupler is released from its anchorage and moves longitudinally, whereby the loc ing dog will be released from the knuckle.

2. The combination with a car coupler having a knuckle and a supporting strap for 00king dog pivotally mounted in the coupler, and adapted to extend into engagement with the knuckle, a trigger extending through the lower wall of the coupler and into engagement with the locking dog, a rod secured to the lower end of said trigger, means to anchor the opposite end of said rod and a crank portion in said rod adapted to normally engage the forward edge of the strap to retain the trigger in its initial-position.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ISRAEL SPARKS. VVi tn esses \V. 'l. l i'rz GERALD, F. W. Coonns. 

